TEMECULA  In its third year and larger than ever, the annual Taste of Temecula Valley brought out throngs of people Saturday to taste local food, wine and beers to benefit area schools.

“We’re bigger this year and more diverse,” said Barbara Burkett, the publicity chairwoman for the event, as lines started forming at the main gate ticket booth along Main Street in Old Town. “We have Afghan food, Italian, organic, gluten-free, desserts ... a lot more to offer. We have more breweries and wineries out. We also expanded the kids’ zone. We took the suggestions and went with that.”

This year’s event brought in 52 local businesses to showcase their foods and beverages for $2 a sample — sold in pairs of tickets. Last year 34 businesses participated. As usual, the event brought out the masses.

Burkett said The Taste of Temecula Valley is “still in its infancy” and will continue to grow. It was created to give people a chance to see what Temecula has to offer and to help schools fund such programs as art, science, and technology — areas cut by the cash-strapped Temecula Valley Unified School District, she said. Since the inaugural Taste of Temecula Valley in 2011, cosponsored by the Temecula Valley Foundation for Excellence in Education, roughly $35,000 has gone to schools whose teachers applied for mini-grants of between $50 and $500, she added.

“We like to get the word out that this is all really for the kids,” she said.

For local proprietors, the event is a win-win.

Saturday’s Taste of Temecula Valley was a first for Temecula’s Earth Bistro, owned by Nima and Carrie Noorzad. Nima Noorzad said the event is a great way to help the community that frequents the business, which specializes in organic, locally grown foods that cater to every customer’s needs: gluten-free and vegan products, grass-fed and free-range meats, and more.

“There is a growing need for healthier foods and this is great exposure for us,” said Nima Noorzad, who was serving up stuffed mushrooms and organic pizza. “Plus we get to help the schools and community.”

Also new the scene was the Temecula Cookie Company, which offered samples of several different kinds of cookies — from famous chocolate chip to lemon.

“I love this community,” said owner Monica Rigali. “This is great for us and great for them.”

Nearby, Christy Puma, owner of two Old Town restaurants, said she was “Miss PTA” before she became a restaurateur.

“We do this for the schools,” said Puma, who owns both The Bank and Sweet Lumpy’s in Old Town and has participated in the event since it started in 2011. “People know us and that’s why we are here.”

Those who ventured out said they liked the one-stop-shop approach to trying new foods, wines, and beers in the region.

“There are so many different wines here, it’s much easier than driving through wine country,” said Robin Glover, a Temecula resident, adding that she was happy with events such as Taste of Temecula Valley. “We used to go to events like this in other towns. Now we have it here and it’s better than most. Getting out locally is great.”